Assam Artisans Handcraft Armour for Ramayana Without Knowing Film's Identity

What Happened

Fifteen artisans in a remote Assam village spent three and a half years crafting specialised armour for director Nitesh Tiwari's mythological epic Ramayana, without initially knowing which film project they were working on. Master artisan Jaynal Abdin led the local team in Jania Banglipara village of Barpeta district to produce 30 to 35 pieces of the custom-made wearable gear. The project first reached Abdin through Abdul Malek of the local organisation Gram Unnayan, after initial drawings arrived via a file. Five to six team members initially visited the village, and a member named Sagar stayed back to oversee measurements and corrections.

Production Challenges

Creating wearable gear from stiff cane for high-energy movie scenes involved major technical hurdles. The first prototype had fitting issues around the neck and shoulders and was sent back with markings for changes. When tried on the lead actor, the pure cane structure proved too hard and tight for smooth movement. Abdin suggested a mix of half cane and half rubber after weaving with rubber alone failed, following a talk with costume designer Ajay. After this hybrid sample was approved, the artisans worked on and off over three and a half years under tight deadlines whenever shooting required new pieces. Finished jackets were rushed from Barpeta to Guwahati Airport and handed to a contact person to fly them directly to Mumbai for shooting.

Context

Traditional handcrafting skills in rural parts of India often find unexpected applications in modern commercial industries like cinema, connecting local artisans to major national projects. High-budget film productions frequently use strict secrecy agreements and non-disclosure protocols during early development stages to prevent leaks about casting, costume designs, and plot details.